Out of office message for limited access and delayed replies
limited-accessBACK ON ...
SubjectOut of office
I am working away from the office until and checking email once a day, in the morning. Expect a reply within one working day; urgent matters can go to at .
Professional · short · 1 of 2
Also for your time off
Where does it go?
A limited access reply tells people how slow you will be rather than that you are gone: how often you check email, when they can expect an answer and who to ask for something faster, as in "Between October 6 and October 14 my replies will be slower than usual, with email checked each evening. For a same-day answer, please contact Priya Nair (priya.nair@yourcompany.com)."
It needs no explanation of where you are or why the connection is poor, and the vague "limited access" line works better replaced by a real rhythm such as once a day or every other day.
All 12 replies on this page
Type your details in the writer and every reply below fills itself in.
Professional 4
I am working away from the office until [Back on] and checking email once a day, in the morning. Expect a reply within one working day; urgent matters can go to [Who covers] at [Their email].
Short
Between [Away from] and [Back on] my replies will be slower than usual, with email checked each evening. For a same-day answer, please contact [Who covers] ([Their email]).
Short
Replies will be slower than normal from [Away from] to [Back on]: I am working with patchy connectivity and will read email once a day, usually late afternoon Eastern time. You can expect a reply within one business day. If your request needs an answer sooner than that, email [Who covers] at [Their email], who covers urgent matters in the meantime.
Longer
This automatic reply is to let you know that responses from me will be delayed until [Back on]. I am checking this inbox twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and will answer messages in the order they arrive. Anything that cannot wait three or four days should go to [Who covers] at [Their email], who is handling time-sensitive requests for now.
Longer
Warm 4
Quick heads-up: I am only dipping into email every other day until [Back on], so a reply may take a little while. [Who covers] ([Their email]) can help faster.
Short
Hello! Until [Back on] I check messages once a day, so you will hear back within a day or so. For anything quicker, try [Who covers] at [Their email].
Short
Hi, thanks for your email. I am working remotely until [Back on] on an unreliable connection, so I am catching up on messages each morning rather than as they come in. You should hear back from me within a day. If that is too slow for what you need, [Who covers] is covering and is reachable at [Their email]; they know where things stand.
Longer
Thanks for getting in touch. I am heads down on a deadline until [Back on] and have set aside one slot a day, around 4 p.m., to go through email. Your message will be read today or tomorrow and I will reply then. For something that genuinely cannot wait, [Who covers] is on hand at [Their email] and happy to help.
Longer
Funny 4
My inbox and I are seeing each other once a day until [Back on]. It is a healthy arrangement. For faster replies, [Who covers] is at [Their email].
Short
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
I am rationing my email until [Back on]: one helping a day. Yours is in the queue. Need it sooner? [Who covers] ([Their email]) is covering urgent ones.
Short
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
I am in a place where the internet arrives roughly once a day, like a train in the countryside. Until [Back on] I will board it each morning, read what has come in and reply within a day. If your message cannot wait for the next train, [Who covers] is covering urgent matters ([Their email]).
Longer
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
Please consider this reply a gentle warning: until [Back on] I am checking email every other day, which means your message may age slightly before I see it. It will still be answered, usually within two days. For anything that would spoil in the meantime, [Who covers] is covering; write to them at [Their email].
Longer
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
What to leave out
The phrase "limited access" on its own. It tells the sender nothing; "I check email each morning" tells them when to expect you.
A checking schedule you will not keep. Promise once a day only if you will open the inbox once a day.
Your location or the reason for the poor connection. Senders need the timing, not the story.
Replying to everyone within the hour anyway. If you do, nobody believes the auto reply next time.
No cover contact. Slow is fine for most messages, but someone has to own the urgent ones.
Filling it in
Set Back on to the day normal replies resume and pick a reply whose checking rhythm matches yours: once a day, twice a week or every other day. Edit the time of day if you check at a fixed hour, name one cover contact for urgent requests, and keep the reply on for the whole period so senders know why you are slow.
Questions people ask
What does limited access to email mean in an out of office?
It means you are still reading email but not at your usual speed, typically because of travel, a deadline or a weak connection. On its own the phrase is vague, so replace it with the rhythm you will actually keep, such as once a day or twice a week, and say when the sender can expect an answer.
How do you write an out of office for delayed responses?
State the delay in time, not adjectives: replies within one business day, or by Friday. Add the period it applies to and one contact for anything that cannot wait that long. Senders then decide for themselves whether to wait or go to the cover, which is the whole point of the reply.
Should I still answer emails while a limited access reply is on?
Answer the messages that need you, but avoid replying faster than your auto reply promises across the board. If everyone gets an answer within the hour, people stop trusting the message and stop using the cover contact. Batch your replies at the time of day you said you would check.
To
Everyone leaving soon
From
Department of Being Elsewhere
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Before you go
The auto reply is one of five things. The other four take about ten minutes and prevent most of the emails you will read when you get back.